1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hearing aids of the type which are worn behind the ear.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hearing aids are known in the art having a behind-the-ear housing in which components for amplification and matching of the aural signals to the nature and degree of the user's hearing impediment are contained. Such components generally consist of a microphone, an amplifier, a current source, an acoustic coil, an earphone, and regulators for adapting volume, timbre and amplifier characteristics such as automatic gain control (AGC) and peak cut-off (PC) to the user's needs.
In conventional hearing aid devices, battery contacts and, under certain conditions, an acoustic coil as well as the regulators are mounted on the mounting plate or circuit board for the amplifier and other associated components in order to determine the functioning of the device even before final assembly of the device with the housing. A problem in the art, particularly with respect to the regulators for matching and for gain control and frequency distribution, is that such regulators must be relatively precisely placed with respect to each other and with respect to the other components by means of particularly careful assembly in order to guarantee the necessary electrical separation by observing adequate tolerances. In hearing aids which are additionally equipped for receiving induction signals with an acoustic coil, additional mounting means must be provided for this component.